Sant' Antimo IGT Tuscany

Banfi's Summus represents a deliberate pivot toward Bordeaux-style blending in the heart of Brunello country. The producer, established in Montalcino in 1978, chose to craft this wine outside the strict Brunello di Montalcino regulations—a transgression that allowed experimentation with Cabernet Sauvignon alongside Tuscan Sangiovese.

The vineyard sits on the clay and limestone slopes of Sant'Antimo, the subregion immediately south of Montalcino's most prestigious sites, at elevation sufficient to preserve acidity through the growing season. The aspect and soil composition favor structured reds with mineral backbone.

Summus is aged in French oak barrels, with the precise percentage of new wood varying by vintage. The blend itself—Cabernet Sauvignon-forward with Sangiovese support—undergoes extended maceration to extract tannin structure. This is a wine built for cellaring, not immediate consumption.

The 2019 vintage (the most recent widely available) carries the ripeness of a warm Tuscan growing season while maintaining the acidity and tannin architecture that defines Sant'Antimo's terroir. Drinking window: 2024–2035.